Of Love and Corn Dogs (11 page)

He wanted to call after Ricky. Ask him if he could come up. Maybe meet Merlin or have an after-dinner drink. He hesitated, because he'd seen the widened pupils, the desire in Ricky's eyes. If Ricky allowed him to come upstairs, he wouldn't want to leave.

Darwin watched for a few moments after the doors closed and the elevator whisked Ricky away before he returned to the cab and asked the driver to take him home.

Ricky closed the door as soon as he got into his apartment. Merlin lay on the couch and glared at Ricky when he walked in.

“Oh, don't look at me like that,” Ricky groused. “I got something special for you, but if you're going to be like that, you won't get it.”

Merlin bounded off the couch and rushed to follow Ricky into the kitchen.

“Yeah, thought that might get your attention.” He blew a raspberry at the cat. “You know you're going to have to listen when I tell you about dinner, right? I had the
best
time. He's sweet, charming, and has a quirky sense of humor. And after I put everything away, I'll give you what he spent good money on to make you happy.”

After packing the leftovers into the refrigerator, with Merlin's loud whines chastising him, Ricky took half of the salmon, chopped it up, and put it into a bowl for the kitten. Apparently all was forgiven when he dove into the dish.

“I almost asked him to spend the night,” Ricky told his cat.

Ricky walked across the room and slumped onto his chair, going over the thoughts he'd had in the lobby. He'd
never
asked anyone to stay. On the rare occasions he'd gone home with someone, it had always been to their place, and Ricky always left right after. Until tonight, there hadn't been anyone who he would ask to stay.

Darwin had thrown himself into the kiss as though he'd been starving. He'd sucked Ricky's tongue while holding him tightly. No way could Ricky have missed the need pulsing through the man. When he'd stepped back, he could see desire and a hint of sadness in Darwin's gaze. Ricky knew he had to get to his apartment before he asked for something he wasn't sure they were ready for.

With shaky hands, he extracted his phone and dialed his sister.

“Do you know what time it is?” she snapped.

“Um. No, not really. Sorry.”

Her voice softened when she asked, “You okay?”

He wasn't sure. He thought he was, but right now he missed Darwin. His touch. His very presence.

“I dunno.” He sniffled. “I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called. We'll talk later.”

“Don't you dare hang up that phone, Richard!” she snapped. “Talk to me. You really wouldn't want to make me call Mom.”

He snorted. His mom would be far worse. A dog with a bone had nothing on the woman.

“I sort of went out on a date tonight,” he admitted.

“And that's a bad thing?”

“I wanted to ask him to stay.” When she didn't reply, he asked, “Trish?”

“I'm sorry. I just can't… You wanted to ask a man to stay with you?”

“I know, right?” he replied, watching Merlin lick his lips at his treat. “How messed up is that?”

“I take it you like this guy? Tell me about him.”

And he did—from their initial meeting, to their night at the bar, to this date, he told her everything. When he finished, she sighed.

“Oh, Ricky. That's the most precious thing I've ever heard. We're talking Oprah's women's network level romance. He bought food for your cat.” She sighed again.

“Really? Out of that entire story, you latch onto the salmon he bought?”

“I'm sorry,” she replied. “Jack used to do sweet things when we were dating. Flowers, little gifts, the whole ball of wax. Then after we got married, he seemed to think it wasn't necessary anymore. The last time we had a romantic dinner was when we were at Golden Chicken with the kids.”

“How in the hell is that romantic?”

Trish laughed. “They had a small fire in the kitchen. It reminded me of a fireplace, so I took it as a bit of romance. Don't harsh my mellow.”

Ricky chuckled. Only his sister would take meaning from a kitchen fire.

“Do you like him?” she asked quietly.

“That's the weird thing. I really,
really
do,” he replied. “But it's only been like one and a half dates.”

“Did Mom ever tell you about her first date with dad?”

Ricky thought back. “No.”

“Okay, do me a favor and call her. You're going to want to hear what she has to say.”

“But it's Mom,” he whined.

“Who will kick your ass if she finds out what you just did,” she teased. Then her voice softened. “Trust me on this one. Call her now.”

“It's late,” he reminded her.

“I know, but Mom needs to hear about your new man, and you need to hear her story. Call me tomorrow.”

She hung up. Ricky ran a thumb over the screen on his phone. When he saw his mother's number, he hesitantly dialed.

“Are you sick? In the hospital? Need blood?”

“Mom.” He huffed. “What are you talking about?”

“Well, you're calling. I figure something must be wrong.”

He realized he hadn't talked to her for a few weeks and his stomach tightened. “Sorry. Things have been pretty hectic here. I quit my job before I got fired.”

“Are you okay? Do you need anything?”

He loved his mother. They were no longer kids, but she would do anything for him and his sister. “I'm fine. Listen, Trish told me to call you and ask about your first date with dad.”

“Have you met someone?”

He refused to commit to an answer. “Maybe.”

“I'm glad,” she replied. “We'll be talking about him, you know. And I want to meet him!”

“I figured as much.”

“What's wrong with him?”

“Oh, God. Not one damn thing that I've seen so far.” He retold the tale of Darwin, from their first encounter at the restaurant, to the dinner they'd shared tonight. Afterward, like his sister, she sighed.

“He sounds delightful.”

“He is. So about this first date?”

“Impatient brat. You must get that from your father, because no one on my side of the family is like that.”

Ricky choked back a laugh. He loved his mother, but there were plenty of times when they were growing up, she would ask something, then she would demand to know why they hesitated with an answer if you didn't tell her what she wanted to hear within five seconds of the question.

“Okay, so let me set the scene for you. We were supposed to go out on our first date that afternoon and see the fireworks that evening. We were going to do a picnic in the park, and then walk over to see the display. I'd never looked forward to anything more in my life.”

And Ricky knew that to be the truth. Before Kyle Connelly died, he'd been hopelessly devoted to his wife and children. His father had become the man that Ricky measured all others against. He could easily see the attraction his mother spoke of.

“It had rained early on, and the weather had gotten cool. That morning, I woke up, pulled out my dress so I could be sure it wasn't wrinkled, then set to making sure everything was perfect. Of course this is the point in the story where everything goes to hell.”

“What happened?” Ricky asked, now needing to hear the story.

“You know what the problem is with your generation? You have no sense of dramatic flair. Anyway, Mom got a call from Grandma Beth, saying they were taking Grandpa Hank to the hospital. She told me I'd need to stay home and watch Ellen and Maggie. I protested, for all the good it did. I'd waited weeks for this day, and now she wanted me to take care of my sisters? I complained about how unfair it all was, but in the end, I called your father and broke our date.”

Ricky slumped into his chair. Obviously the story had a happy ending, but he could feel the heartbreak in her softly spoken words.

“I was angry, because it had taken him weeks to get up the nerve to ask me. I almost went to him, because he was sweet and charming and I had found myself smitten.”

“Smitten?” Ricky teased.

“It's a perfectly nice word,” she swore. “Anyway, about four o'clock, the doorbell rang. I opened it, and there he stood. He had on a dark blue suit with a thin red tie that had gold stripes on it, and he wore polished loafers. He was, without a doubt, the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.

“I asked him why he had come when I'd canceled, and he said if he didn't, he couldn't be sure he'd have the nerve to ask again. He brought a picnic lunch. When I reminded him I had to watch your aunts, he assured me he had enough food for all of us. He invited me out to the picnic table in our backyard, where he'd already set up the food. We all took a seat. It didn't matter to him that we were effectively babysitting because, he said, family always came first. In fact, he treated my sisters better than I had. He made sure they had enough food, that they weren't cold, and he played games with them when they complained they were bored. I cried a little at that.

“If you asked me today, I couldn't tell you for sure what we ate. I just know that it had been the most romantic gesture I'd ever seen.”

Ricky's heart stuttered. His whole family missed his father. The man had always been generous with his hugs, his praise, and his time. His heart attack at forty had devastated their family, and it had taken years for them to get back to a semblance of normal.

“That's why I ask you to see if you can picture yourself having a future with someone. That afternoon, sitting outside with your dad, my whole life laid itself out before my eyes. I knew that one day we'd be married. Six months later, he actually proposed. I said yes, of course.”

He'd never heard the story, and the sweetness of her words brought a burning to his eyes. He knew how much she loved their father. She'd never remarried, telling them that no one could ever take his place. She'd gone out on dates, but never felt that connection with anyone.

“Thank you for telling me,” he said, his voice cracking.

“Can you picture being with this man? Does he make your toes curl? Make your heart sing? If you look at him now, can you see yourself in twenty years, sitting across from him, sipping coffee? This is what love is, honey. It's not whether you're compatible in bed, but if you can be in life.”

Ricky didn't even have to consider her question. It had been on his mind since their date. “Yeah, Mom. I can. I sat with him at dinner and found myself wondering what it would be like for us to be in our kitchen, making a meal for our family. Working together to create something beautiful.”

“Yes!” she said, practically shouting. “That's how I felt with your dad. Hold on to that feeling. Remember it, because when things go wrong—and they always do—it's that which will keep you together. Problems come and go, but if you're together, love can always see you through the worst of times.”

When his phone beeped, Ricky pulled it away from his ear, smiling when he saw who the caller was.

“Mom? Darwin's calling. Can I call you back?”

“Anytime. Go talk to your man.”

He connected with Darwin and had to suppress a sigh when he heard the breathy tone in Darwin's voice.

“I was wondering…are you doing anything this weekend?”

“Probably filling out more applications. Why?”

“What would you say if I asked whether you wanted to take a ride down by the lake? See the sights. Maybe do a little exploring.”

Ricky didn't even have to think about it. “Yes, that would be really nice.”

“I'll call you later and we can confirm plans. Sound okay?”

“Sounds great,” Ricky replied, butterflies in his stomach multiplying at the thought of another date with Darwin. “Are you home yet?”

“Just pulling up. Thank you again for tonight. Sleep well.”

****

Darwin put his phone back into his pocket. He hadn't even been away from Ricky for half an hour, and he already missed him. His warmth, and that kiss that sent tingles through his body. He couldn't believe how much Ricky had come to mean to him in such a short time.

After he paid the driver, including the hundred dollars he'd offered, Darwin let himself into the house. Compared to Ricky's building, the place seemed cold. He'd never really liked living there, even as a child. When there'd been a full staff, it was filled with people, but they never had time to do anything but work. Even his nanny had needed to fulfill other responsibilities.

It had been different when Dean moved in. The house had been filled with love and the whole dynamic of the place changed. The servants had been invited to dine with him and Dean to get to know one another, to become part of the household. Hell, they'd become his and Dean's family. Then after Dean had died, Darwin couldn't stand to see their home anymore. He'd thought about moving, but this had been his only tie to his parents, his brother, and the man he'd loved with his whole heart.

A light in the kitchen let him know someone, probably Henley, could be caught raiding the refrigerator. He snuck in as quiet as he could and stood there while the man loaded up a plate with cabbage rolls.

“Don't think I don't know you're there, Dare. You're not the ninja type. Want some?”

“You mean there are still leftovers? Judging from the mound on that plate, I figured you'd have eaten them all by now.”

“Funny. Ha. Yeah. She made extra, figuring you might want a snack before bed.”

“So you're eating my snack?”

Henley closed the door and dropped his bounty on the counter. He licked his fingers. “You snooze, you lose, bud. You know how it goes.”

Darwin reached out and snatched one off the plate, grabbed his own dish from the cabinet, and cut into it. Even cold they were amazing.

“How'd it go? You're home earlier than I figured,” Henley said, popping his plate into the microwave.